Restoring St. Colman’s in Cobh, Ireland

The organ in St. Colman’s Cathedral in Cobh, Ireland was built by Telford & Telford, founded in Dublin in 1830 by William Telford.

It is one of the largest, most prestigious, and least-altered instruments of its kind. Telford organs can be found all over Ireland, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and the Falkland Islands.

The Ruffatti crew, headed by Piero Ruffatti, and with the help of expert local movers, completed the removal of this historical organ in the fall of 2015. A few weeks later, at the end of October, the instrument was delivered to the Ruffatti factory in Italy, inside two 20-foot containers. It was carefully stored. All parts are now being individually analyzed and the preliminary phases of restoration are beginning under the supervision of Piero, Michela, and Francesco Ruffatti.

Removing pipes from the balconyThe two containers of organ parts and pipes arriving at the Ruffatti factory in PadovaOriginal Telford pipework, featuring exquisitely manufactured wooden pipes.Shallots of the Cornopean 8’ from the Swell organThe original Telford weights for the large bellows